Purple Robe Locust
Purple Robe locust (Robinia ‘Purple Robe’) is a fast-growing shade tree with fragrant, purple-pink flower clusters and airy, compound foliage. It can grow in Phoenix, but extreme summer heat and reflected sun can stress it. Special Features Fragrant, bee-attracting flowers; nitrogen-fixing roots; drought tolerance once established; provides summer shade and admits winter sunlight. Problems & […]
Silver Peso Texas Mountain Laurel
Evergreen desert small tree or large shrub (Texas mountain laurel) prized for silvery, felted new foliage and pendant, grape-like clusters of intensely fragrant violet-purple flowers in late winter. Well adapted to the low desert, tolerating heat, drought, and alkaline soils once established. Special Features Silvery felted new foliage; intensely grape-scented violet-purple flowers; evergreen; well-adapted low-desert […]
Sweet Bubba Desert Willow
A heat-loving desert willow selection with narrow green leaves and showy, fragrant purple flowers; well suited to Phoenix desert landscapes. Special Features Fragrant flowers attract hummingbirds and pollinators; excellent heat tolerance and good drought tolerance once established. Problems & Solutions Overwatering and poor drainage can cause root problems; allow soil to dry between waterings. Occasional […]
Texas Ebony
Texas ebony (Ebenopsis ebano, formerly Pithecellobium flexicaule) is a thorny, heat-tolerant tree with dense, finely divided foliage, zigzag branches, and persistent woody seedpods. Special Features Excellent heat and drought tolerance; dense shade, fragrant flowers that attract bees, and distinctive dark bark and woody pods. Problems & Solutions Sharp thorns require placement away from walkways and […]
Texas Mountain Laurel
A slow-growing evergreen shrub or small tree with glossy, leathery leaves and fragrant purple flower clusters; well suited to Phoenix desert landscapes. Special Features Highly fragrant flowers with a grape-soda scent; heat and drought tolerant once established; attracts bees. All parts are toxic if ingested, especially the bright red seeds. Problems & Solutions Genista caterpillars […]
Weeping Acacia
An Australian evergreen tree with gracefully weeping branches and narrow, silvery blue-gray foliage; well suited to Phoenix’s hot, dry climate. Special Features Elegant weeping form; silvery foliage; heat and drought tolerance; thornless branches. Problems & Solutions Poor drainage and excessive irrigation can cause root problems; allow soil to dry between deep waterings. Train young trees […]
Willow Acacia
A thornless Australian tree with slender, gray-green foliage and gracefully drooping branches that create a willow-like appearance. Special Features Heat and drought tolerant; thornless; provides filtered shade and a soft, weeping silhouette. Problems & Solutions Fast growth can produce weak branches prone to wind breakage; train young trees for strong branch structure and avoid topping. […]
Sonoran Emerald
A desert-adapted palo verde cultivar valued for its green bark, fine-textured foliage, yellow spring flowers, and airy shade. Special Features Generally thornless; attractive photosynthetic green bark; heat and drought tolerant; provides filtered shade and flowers visited by pollinators. Problems & Solutions Overwatering and poor drainage can cause root problems; irrigate deeply but infrequently. Rapid growth […]
Ironwood Tree
Long-lived Sonoran Desert native tree with gray-green foliage, thorny branches, exceptionally dense wood, and showy spring flowers; well adapted to Phoenix heat. Special Features Extremely heat and drought tolerant; attracts native bees, provides wildlife shelter, and serves as a nurse tree for desert plants. Problems & Solutions Poor drainage and excessive irrigation can cause root […]
Shoestring Acacia
A graceful Australian desert tree with long, narrow, shoestring-like foliage and an airy, weeping canopy; well adapted to Phoenix heat. Special Features Thornless; heat and drought tolerant; provides filtered shade. Narrow, pendulous foliage adds movement and soft texture. Problems & Solutions Poor drainage and excessive irrigation can cause root problems; allow drying between deep waterings. […]